Docks & Structures
EPS and Floating Docks
The properties of EPS (environmentally friendly, light weight, and durable) have made EPS foam the favorite choice in constructing floating docks and buoys. EPS billets which support 55 lbs. per cubic foot are installed at the base of the dock and encapsulated to protect the EPS and ensure long product life span. Tri State Foam has been able to utilize EnviroPlus EPS to become a leader in the construction of floating docks.
Our dedication to customer satisfaction along with skilled and motivated employees allows us to provide premium products and premium service. As our client, we will work closely with your on staff engineers and workers to make sure that our designs meet your specifications and that the product is designed correctly to ensure the best possible end product.
EPS and Floating Structures
As the popularity of EPS floatation devices has grown, so too, have floating structures. Tri State Foam has the capability to use its EnviroPlus EPS to design larger structures including floating restaurants, office buildings, public washrooms, and even floating swimming pools. By joining the platforms, floating walkways and roads can be assembled. Indeed, entire "floating neighborhoods" dot the west coast of the U.S. and Canada. These houses range in size from 450- to over 3,000-square-feet in size.
Typical designs consist of blocks of EPS with steel reinforced concrete walls at 10 to 15 feet on centers and a top slab. Underslab items, like plumbing, are encapsulated by the EPS prior to casting the concrete. EPS is encapsulated in a non-structural coating to protect against marine life and damage from freezing and thawing. All underfloor voids are filled with EPS to insure an unsinkable entity.
EPS the Smart Choice
EnviroPlus EPS makes many water-related activities -from life-saving devices and buoys to surf and boogie boards to boating -safer due to its buoyant characteristics.
EPS billets are able to support 55 lbs per cubic foot. Wood, which is approximately 20 to 40 times heavier, can only support about 18 to 28 lbs. EnviroPlus EPS also has an estimated life span of over 40 years and even if their coating cracks or is punctured, billets will remain buoyant for approximately 15 to 20 years.
EPS flotation structures are o-zone and environmentally friendly, exhibit excellent rebound characteristics with minimal rocking, provide less resistance to breaking waves and are quieter than those with other types of flotation such as drum floats.
Buoyancy billets are usually produced in standard sizes but can be easily customized. They are suitable for fresh and salt water and are unaffected by winter temperatures. Since EPS is lightweight and easy to work with, installation and maintenance costs are low.
"As a manufacturer of commercial floating docks with EPS foam cores, our need to partner with a foam supplier having the expertise to consistently meet our requirements in terms of dimensional accuracy, creating the unique variations in design expected by our customers and delivering on time is critical to our success. The products Tri State Foam make for us continually meets and exceeds our demanding standards. Their consistency has helped drive costs out of our operation in numerous ways. Their staff is flexible and routinely adjusts deliveries to avoid times when our entire work force is engaged in pouring and finishing. The management team is well coordinated. The ease with which the organization gets things done and makes changes clearly demonstrates that. I highly recommend them." -Gil Gilley, Operations Manager, SP Marina Systems USA
